This invention relates to a compartmented food container for frozen foods and, more particularly, to a leak proof food container which is formed from a single folded blank sheet and provides several food compartments which are easily separable from one another.
The present invention improves on the present inventor's prior invention, described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,837 (the "'837 Patent"), the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. The '837 Patent describes a generally rectangular blank or sheet, which can be shaped into an elongate tubular container for frozen food, by being folded along a set of fold lines which are stamped or scored into it. The container is filled with food through one of its distal ends, which end has a closable end cap.
The blank of the '837 Patent is scored with at least one additional set of fold lines which extend transversely to the length of the container. The additional fold lines are placed such that pressing upon the container from opposite longitudinal directions causes those portions of the wall of the container, which are situated between the fold lines, to be indented dented inwardly into the interior of the container. The indentations are deep enough to, in effect, compartmentalize the food in the container. There is one continuous block of food extending between the longitudinal ends of the container. But the block has separation planes defined by the indentations. Consequently, a food compartment between separation planes can be severed from the remainder of the container relatively easily and in a manner which does not disturb the food in the remaining compartments.
This known container blank also includes an integral, protruding, section at one end which is eventually shaped into an end cap. The end cap is hingedly attached to the container to seal the initially open distal end through which food is introduced into the container. Subsequently, and after the first food section has been severed, the end cap is torn away from the first food compartment and may be reused to seal the exposed end of the remainder of the container.
The above-described blank/food container has several shortcomings. For example, to enable the peripheral wall of the container to bend inwardly at the corners of the rectangular container, where two side panels meet, to form the compartment-defining indentations, the blank is provided with diamond shaped cut-outs at the corners. The cut-outs were meant to self seal, once the container had been longitudinally compressed. It has now been determined, however, that, in practice, the container is still susceptible to leaking through these cut-outs.
This leakage problem is illustrated in FIG. 1 herein. The cut-outs 30 allow the panels 32 and 34 to bend neatly at the corners, as compartments 36 and 38 are pressed together. While perfect abutment of panels 32 and 34 should seal the corners, in practice, due to filling problems, the incomplete abutment of the panels 32, 34 and due to manufacturing inaccuracies such as imperfect shaping of the cut-outs 30, the corners remain imperfectly sealed.
As a result, food is certain to leak through the cut-outs at the corners, during container filling, after filling but prior to solidifying or even under minor thawing conditions. This defeats a primary objective of the '837 Patent to provide a hygienic and leak proof food package.
Another disadvantage of the known food container is that it has an elongate tubular shape and is fillable with food only from its distal end. Filling a food container from its distal end is more difficult and inefficient. It provides less control over the placement and arrangement of food in the container.
Furthermore, the integrally formed and hingedly movable end cap of the '837 Patent has been found to provide incomplete closing and sealing for the distal end of the container. The reason is that the end cap has to be somewhat loose to enable it to swing over and enclose the distal end. The problem is aggravated after the end cap is severed from its original position at the end of the container and is reused to cover the exposed end of remaining sections of the container from which one or more food compartments have been severed.